Cats to the Rescue
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Eight-year-old Harry notices cats have a much better life, or don't they? Another Animagus story. Completely AU, partly OOC, mentioning of abuse!Dursleys, sick!Harry, sick!Severus
1. Chapter 1

**Cats to the Rescue**

**Chapter 1**

Eight-year-old Harry slowly walked over to Mrs. Figg's house, glad to get away from his unkind relatives for the weekend but dreading having to listen to the old woman's talk about her cats, especially as he felt very unwell this morning. Since he had woken up on Friday morning, his throat had been sore, and by now his head was pounding badly and he felt hot and cold at the same time.

"Good morning, Harry," Mrs. Figg greeted him in her usual kind way. "Make yourself comfortable, sweetie, I just have to bandage Jilly's paw. She hurt her paw the other day."

"Kay, Mrs. Figg," Harry whispered, not daring to speak aloud as he had already noticed at school the day before that it hurt to raise his voice. He followed the old lady into the living room and observed in amazement how gently she bathed the cat's paw in a bowl filled with a light green liquid, before she carefully wrapped it in white gauze. All the time, she was speaking with the injured cat in a very soft and soothing voice. '_It must be great to be a cat_,' he mused, absently rubbing his aching forehead.

He was pulled out of his reverie when Mrs. Figg straightened and walked to the kitchen, where she filled several small bowls with cat food, asking Harry to help her carry them out into the garden.

"Harry, I'm sorry, I just have to go to buy some more gauze for Jilly. You can play with the cats for a while if you want, or you can watch TV in the living room."

"Kay," Harry mumbled and tiredly sat on the grass, observing a dozen cats wolfing down their breakfast. Jilly was in their midst, but Harry realized the other cats were very careful around her, making enough space for her to access one of the bowls even with her thickly wrapped paw.

During the next hour, Harry watched the cats play and cuddle with each other, noticing that they approached Jilly very gently, apparently trying to not hurt her sore paw even more.

'_I wish I was a cat, too_,' Harry thought longingly as a violent shiver shook his small body. '_It's so cold here_,' he noticed, just when a dragon came in his direction, beginning to breathe hot air at him.

Suddenly, his head exploded in pain, and his vision somehow changed. Everything seemed much bigger now, and different sounds and smells than before penetrated his mind.

'_What's wrong with me_?' he thought, terrified, glancing over to the other cats that were at eye level with him now.

"Look, a strange kitten," one of the cats pointed out to the others. It was an older, female cat with light grey fur and light green eyes, and she had a very gentle voice.

'_She is very nice_,' Harry thought, liking the friendly, old cat immediately. '_Does she mean me? Am I a cat?_' he mused, noticing horrified that he seemed to be the centre of attention.

"He looks beautiful with his black fur and emerald eyes," Jilly replied, carefully continuing to lick her healthy paw.

"Yes, but he looks ill," the older cat said, slowly approaching Harry.

"He must be the small human boy, who sometimes visits Arabella. He was here, watching us eat earlier," an older marmalade cat threw in. "He seems to be able to transform like Felina."

"Oh right, like Felina," the first, grey cat replied thoughtfully. She stood in front of Harry, watching him in concern. "Are you a human and able to change into a cat?" she queried.

"I don't know. I mean... I'm a boy, but now I'm a cat? I've no idea what happened. Please don't breathe fire at me. It's too hot." Harry was shivering violently as he feverishly tried to comprehend what had happened.

"You're ill, little one, aren't you? Come with me and drink a bit of water; it'll make you feel better. I'm Teda by the way," the older cat lady explained, coaxing Harry to follow her to the edge of the house, where several bowls with drinking water were waiting for the cats to help themselves.

It took Harry a while to follow Teda, since it was more difficult than he had expected to walk on four legs. He stumbled every now and then, feeling utterly exhausted by the time they reached the water bowls.

'_Oh, this is like a paradise_,' Harry mused as he greedily drank some water, until Teda admonished him lightly. "Drink slowly, kitten. You don't want to drown."

Harry complied and slowly sipped the water until he felt completely full and a little bit cooler. "Come and rest right next to Jilly. She'll watch over you for a while," Teda offered gently, and Harry threw her a grateful look as he lay down on the grass, curling up right next to Jilly.

'_Am I really a cat now_?' Harry mused, noticing that it didn't help him feel better but that on the contrary his whole body was getting sore. He didn't notice the marmalade cat fetch a cloth, wet it in the water bowl, and adjust it to his neck. Only barely, he became aware of Mrs. Figg entering the garden, looking for him in his human form. However, he felt too miserable to show any reaction.

"Where is Harry?" the old lady queried aloud, searching the garden with her eyes in apparent concern.

Teda eventually made her way to the woman, leading her towards the spot, where Jilly and Harry were curled up in the grass together.

"Oh, a new kitten?" Mrs. Figg queried, throwing the small, black cat a concerned look, before she gently picked him up from the ground. "Oh my, you're burning up with fever, aren't you, little one?" she asked worriedly, taking in his glassy, green eyes, which she realised to have seen before.

"Harry?" she enquired sharply. "Are you Harry?"

Harry let out a small moan.

"How did you end up as a cat? You must be a natural Animagus, sweetie. But I'm afraid you're ill. Let me take you into the house and check on you," the old lady said softly and carried him into the living room, snatching an ear thermometer for animals out of a drawer in the hall on their way. She sat on the sofa, and Harry anxiously curled up tightly.

"Now, little one, nothing is going to happen with you," Teda's voice penetrated Harry's foggy mind. "Arabella is merely going to take your temperature so as to know if you need medicine to get better."

Harry slowly lifted his achy head, noticing that all the other cats had accompanied them inside and were sitting on the sofa right next to Mrs. Figg, who still held him on her lap. The old lady used the opportunity to stick the thermometer into his ear for a few seconds, letting out a gasp as she took it back.

"Harry, you have a very high fever. Can you transform into your human form, so I can easier help you?"

Harry anxiously shook his head, wincing as the small movement hurt.

"Very well then, hang in there for a moment. I'm going to call my friend," Mrs. Figg decided, carefully placing Harry on the sofa, where he curled up between Jilly and Teda, shivering violently at the loss of the woman's body warmth.

Mrs. Figg headed to the fireplace, shouting, "Minerva McGonagall's office, Hogwarts."

Harry in his cat form watched anxiously as a green dragon stepped out of the fireplace, breathing fire into the room.

"What's wrong, little one?" Teda asked in concern.

"A dragon," Harry croaked, pointing a paw towards the dragon that was listening to Mrs. Figg's explanation, before it turned into a grey cat like Teda.

"That's not a dragon but Felina. She is half human like you. She'll be able to help you," Teda informed him quietly. "Hello Felina," she turned to the new cat that approached the sofa and jumped up, crouching in front of Harry.

Harry noticed in surprise that all the other cats began to purr, happily greeting Felina. '_They seem to like her a lot. Isn't that strange? A woman, who can turn into a cat? And why can I do the same_?' he thought in confusion.

"Hello, are you Harry?" Felina queried gently, causing Harry to slowly raise his head.

"Yes," he replied shyly.

"I'm Minerva. I'm a human like you," the cat informed him in a stern, but gentle voice, throwing him a piercing look from her green eyes. "Do you think you can change back into your human form?"

"No," Harry replied softly.

The cat let out a pensive, "Hmm," before she asked, "Do you want me to help you and change you back?"

'_Change me back? I have no idea how I changed into a cat, but how can another cat change me back?_' Harry mused in confusion. '_I don't want that though. I like it much more as a cat. The cats are so much nicer than humans_.' He threw the older cat a terrified look and hurriedly shook his head, slightly beginning to panic.

"It's all right, little one. Don't panic," Teda threw in. "Felina only wants to help you, because you're sick."

"Exactly; I'd be better able to help you in your human form," Felina agreed, throwing Teda an appreciative glance.

Feeling too weak to discuss the matter with the other cat, Harry curled up again, laying his achy head on the ground.

"Harry, can you at least tell me what's wrong? Are you in pain?" Felina continued asking.

"I'm fine," Harry mumbled, knowing he wasn't allowed to complain.

"You're definitely not fine, sweetie; you're ill with a high fever, and if you don't tell me what's wrong, so I can try to help you, I'm afraid I have to transform you back into your human form," Felina threatened in a soft but firm voice.

"I don't want to be human anymore. Humans are not nice," Harry croaked, curling up tighter.

"Then you must tell me what's wrong, Harry," Felina insisted.

"Do you want to tell me, sweetie?" Teda queried softly. "I'm not human at all."

"It's nothing. Just my throat and head are a bit sore is all," Harry whispered, finding his head felt too heavy to lift as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	2. Chapter 2

**Cats to the Rescue – Chapter 2**

Harry didn't notice Felina jump from the sofa and transform into an older lady like Mrs. Figg.

"Harry told me he couldn't change back, and when I offered to transform him, he panicked and told me, he wanted to remain a cat, because humans weren't nice. He didn't speak with me after that, but he told Teda his head and throat was sore. Apart from the bad cold or whatever is ailing him, is he a normal child?"

"I have the impression he is very unhappy, and his family doesn't treat him well. However, Minerva, his fever is much too high for a cold. I bet he has the flu or something like that," Mrs. Figg replied thoughtfully.

"Well, then I'll go and fetch Poppy. She'll know what to do. She has cast diagnostic spells on me in my feline form before," Minerva decided and turned back to the fireplace.

HP

When Harry's mind slowly returned to awareness, he saw two elder women standing in front of him. One of them was waving a stick at him, before she sighed and spoke quietly with the other woman and Mrs. Figg.

"Harry has the Muggle flu, and my diagnostic spell showed me various smaller injuries ailing him. If you don't want all of your cats to catch the flu, I should take him with me to Hogwarts."

"What about the Dursleys?" the other woman threw in. "You can't just take the kid away. His aunt will want to care for him, if he is so ill."

Mrs. Figg let out a snort. "They don't care at all. Petunia always calls him a freak and complains how much of a burden he is. She'd be glad if you took him away. I'm sure she wouldn't even bother asking about him."

"But Albus..."

"Minnie, he is very ill with more than forty degrees of fever. I don't care what Albus says, and as long as he is in his cat form, Albus won't even know," the first lady interrupted the other impatiently.

"Okay, Poppy," the Minerva lady agreed and turned to Harry, causing him to curl up in a tight ball. "Don't worry, sweetie. Everything will be all right," she said softly as she gently picked him up and cradled him close to her chest.

Harry heard the two women thank Mrs. Figg, before he felt as if everything was turning around. '_What is happening with me?_' he thought, but before he could open his eyes in fright, Minerva began to speak to him in a very soft, soothing voice.

"Relax, sweetie, we live in a huge school, which you are going to attend in a few years' time. Your parents were once my students too. We'll take you there, and my friend Poppy will make you all better."

'_School_?' Harry thought in confusion but listened in awe when the woman spoke about his parents. Suddenly, he felt himself being lowered onto something very soft but began to shiver violently at the loss of Minerva's body warmth. Anxiously opening his eyes, he found himself on a white pillow on the floor of a very huge room.

"It's cold, isn't it?" the other lady said gently and covered him with a warm blanket.

Feeling too miserable to let out any sound of gratefulness, Harry merely blinked once, glad when the lady seemed to understand.

"You're welcome, sweetie. I'm Poppy, by the way. I'm going to check on you once more to be sure I give you the correct potions, all right? I won't hurt you. If I ask you something, I want you to blink once for yes and twice for no. Do you understand me?"

Harry weakly blinked once, but immediately curled up tightly when he saw Poppy draw a long stick. '_That's like in my dream with the green light_,' he mused, panicking until he felt a paw gently rub his back and heard a cat's voice next to him.

"It's all right, Poppy will make you better quickly. She won't hurt you. Hang in there for a moment."

'_The Minerva lady is the Felina cat again_,' Harry realised. '_Will I be able to change back and forth as well? At the moment, I prefer to be a cat though. Everyone is so nice to me_.'

"Yes, he has the Muggle flu as well as some minor injuries, which are not urgent," Poppy brought him out of his reverie. "It would be easier if he was human, but if he prefers to stay in his cat form he may do so. I'm relatively sure the flu potion will work for cats too. Fortunately, Severus has just brewed a batch for me, knowing that always some of the students living in a Muggle environment bring the Muggle flu to Hogwarts at the beginning of the school year."

"Harry, are you willing to change back into your human form, or do you want to remain a cat for the time being?" the Felina cat queried softly, causing Harry to curl up tighter.

"The cat form it is then, I guess. That's all right, sweetie. I'll transform back now to speak with Poppy."

With that, he felt the grey cat leave the large pillow, and a few seconds later he heard her speak with Poppy. "He seems to prefer his cat form for the moment. What are we going to do?"

"How about taking him to the lynx's den?" Poppy enquired as she, unbeknownst to Harry, spelled the potion for the Muggle flu and a fever reducer into the small cat's system.

'_Oh, feels good_,' Harry thought, suddenly feeling much cooler and not so drowsy anymore. "Thank you," he croaked, unaware of the fact that the two ladies merely heard a "miaow."

"I believe that's a good idea, Poppy. That way, we can take turns looking after him and keeping him company. Do we need any preventive potion for the flu?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm quite sure the normal teachers' immunization shot covers the Muggle flu as well. I'll come by to check on him again after dinner."

"All right, Poppy, thank you."

With that Harry felt himself being picked up and lazily opened his eyes, he saw it was Minerva, who carefully carried him, crossing the large room towards the door.

'_How did we come here_?' Harry pondered in confusion as Minerva stepped out into a corridor with huge paintings on the walls.

'_Oh no! The people in the pictures move_,' Harry thought frightened, although deep in his mind he had the impression as if he had seen such things before. Nestling deep into the woman's green clothing, he allowed himself to be carried through an immensely large and thick door out into what seemed to be a park.

"Are you all right, little one?" Minerva asked gently as a violent shiver shook his small body.

"Miaow."

"Hang in for a moment; we'll soon be there," Minerva replied and carried him for what seemed to be an infinite time along a never-ending wall and through a small a garden, until they came to a halt in front of a door that contained a cat flap. "I'm going to transform into my feline form now. Please follow me through the flap." She gently placed him on the ground and, seeing he struggled to stand up on his four legs, she carefully lifted him so he came to stand on his paws.

Harry let out a grateful, "Thank you," and followed the grey cat through the cat flap into a very small corridor.

'_Where are we_?' Harry mused anxiously but instinctively knew he could trust the older cat.

Apparently becoming aware of the fact that he was dead on his feet, Felina stopped abruptly and transformed back into her human form, before she picked him up from the floor and gently carried him into a huge room that was built around an enormous fireplace.

"This is our cat's den," Minerva explained, smiling as she put Harry down on the soft, black ground at one side of the fireplace. "Stay here and rest; we'll join you in a few minutes."

Harry tiredly lay down, gratefully noticing that Minerva moved a few pillows, placing them behind himself, so he could make himself comfortable. "I don't think you'll get cold here though," she said softly, before she straightened and strode away through a nearby door.

Harry couldn't help feeling a bit anxious remaining all on his own in an unknown place and unconsciously extended his claws, but the medicine Poppy had given him earlier made him so tired that his eyes drooped and he drifted off to sleep, before he could even further take in his surroundings.

HP

By the time Harry woke up, he felt absolutely horrible. '_I felt so much better earlier. Was that only a dream_?' he pondered as he lazily opened his eyes, only to close them again immediately and blink a few times. '_What's that? Where am I_?' he mused, frightened, seeing not only the grey cat curled up on a pillow next to him but also a marmalade cat as well as a huge, black cat sleeping on the soft ground in front of the fireplace.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I appreciate them very much as they inspire my stubborn muse to write ;-)_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	3. Chapter 3

**Cats to the Rescue – Chapter 3**

Due to Harry's sneezing and coughing it didn't take the other cats long to wake up as well.

"Oh my God, I drifted off to sleep as well," Felina said, rubbing her eyes with her right front paw, before she turned to Harry. "I think your potions have worn off. Let me transform back, and I'll give you more, although you'll have to drink them this time. None of us is able to spell them into your stomach like Poppy does."

With that, Felina transformed back to her human form. She carefully picked Harry up and carried him to the nearby sofa, reaching for a thermometer similar to the one Mrs. Figg had used earlier, and quickly took his temperature.

"Still 40.6," she stated, sighing as she placed the cold thing back and brought a small bowl near Harry's mouth.

Harry sniffed, shivering at the strange smell of the dark green liquid. However, the woman pressed the bowl against his mouth, causing him to automatically swallow the cold and badly smelling fluid.

"Well done, sweetie," Minerva commended him, only to replace the empty bowl with another one, filled with a light yellow liquid.

Harry obediently swallowed, noticing the effects immediately. '_That must be medicine like what Aunt Petunia always gave to Dudley when he was sick_,' Harry mused, letting out a grateful "Miaow."

Harry suddenly felt very drowsy and barely noticed the woman placing him back next to the other two cats, before she changed back as well and sat right next to him.

"The marmalade cat is my colleague Herbifera, and the black one is Nero," she explained in a soft voice.

"Are you feeling a bit better?" the marmalade cat queried in an equally soft voice as Felina's.

"Much better. Thank you so much for the medicine," Harry replied, shocked at how hoarse his voice still sounded.

"Shouldn't his fever have come down a bit by now?" Felina asked worriedly, turning to the other two cats.

"No, it'll take a few days," the larger, black cat replied shortly and rose from his seat, striding from the room without making the faintest noise.

Harry followed the black cat's every movement in absolute amazement. "Nero is a magical lynx," Felina explained gently. "He can change his colour at free will, and he can move absolutely soundlessly."

An instant later, the lynx was back, carrying a towel in his mouth. "Uncurl for a moment," he softly admonished Harry, who automatically felt inclined to obey to the soft but strict voice.

"That might help to cool you down a bit," the lynx said as he carefully adjusted the towel to Harry's neck, causing the small cat to shiver badly.

'_Feels good_,' Harry mused, throwing the large cat a grateful look.

'_Are these two real cats, or are they humans like Felina and me_?' Harry pondered, while he tried to keep his eyes open and follow the other cats' conversation.

"Felina, what are you going to do with him?" the marmalade cat queried, absently cleaning her front paw's fur.

"As soon as he is back to health, I'll try to convince him to transform back once more, so Poppy can properly check on him. She suspects he might be abused."

"You don't believe that, do you?" the lynx scoffed. "He is Harry Potter, saviour of the wizarding world. How could he be abused?"

"His relatives are Muggles, and they're the worst kind of Muggles I've ever seen," Felina replied indignantly, leaving Harry to ponder about what he had heard.

'_Saviour of the wizarding world? Muggles? They must be crazy. There's no such thing like magic or wizards_.' He absentmindedly brought a paw to his achy head, fiercely rubbing his forehead.

"If he is indeed abused, we can't send him back there, and Albus will have to understand that," the lynx said matter-of-factly.

"Poppy told me she can only do a proper diagnostic check on him, if he is in his human form. In his cat form, she can merely diagnose acute illnesses," Felina replied worriedly. "However, when I talked to him about transforming back, he absolutely refused. He even told me he didn't want to be human anymore because cats were much kinder, and when I asked if I should transform him back, he panicked."

"You could always transform him back when he's asleep, couldn't you?" Nero enquired, causing Felina to throw him an exasperated glare.

"No, I can't. I owe it to his parents to be a person, whom he can trust. Lily was like a daughter to me and Harry like a grandchild. I often babysat him when he was a baby. If I did that to him, he'd never trust me again. I hope to be able to convince him to transform when he feels better.

"However, how do you plan to hide him from the Headmaster, considering it's unlikely Albus sees reason? I don't mind the boy being here as long as he is in his cat form, but once he is better and you convince him to transform back, he won't be able to stay with me anymore," the lynx said thoughtfully.

"Why not? You know Albus hardly ever comes here. He's not able to come through the cat flap, and if he stands in front of the entrance door or the fireplace, you can quickly send the boy into another room," Herbifera suggested gently, causing Nero to abruptly change his colour to an angry neon green.

'_Herbifera sounds very nice_,' Harry thought, '_and she has a funny colour. From their talking I guess they're all humans in cat forms. Can everyone change into cats? I'd love to see Dudley or Uncle Vernon as cats. They'd hardly fit through the cat flap_.' The sudden thought of his uncle made Harry panic. '_Did they already notice I'm gone? They will be so angry_,' he mused, suddenly feeling very hot.

"He's sweating badly," Nero, who was back to his normal black, said in obvious concern. He carefully stepped around the two cat ladies, snatching the cold towel from Harry's neck to carefully wipe his sweaty face. "Are you feeling worse?" he queried, giving the small cat a sharp look.

"No, I'm fine. Sorry," Harry replied, trying to relax under the large cat's breath.

"Don't make yourself upset, little one; otherwise, your fever will spike even more," the lynx said sternly, readjusting the towel to Harry's neck once more.

'_He is very skilful_,' Harry mused in amazement as he thanked the cat. '_I could never do such things with my mouth_.'

HP

Harry woke up feeling a tingling sensation all over his body. He anxiously opened his eyes, noticing blazing sunshine coming through one of the huge windows, which he hadn't even seen the day before. Poppy was crouching in front of him, waving a stick at him.

"It's all right, Harry. Poppy is just checking on you," the marmalade cat told him in a gentle voice.

Felina had changed back into her Minerva form and was standing behind Poppy, while the black lynx was nowhere to be seen.

"What is she doing with the stick?" Harry croaked, unconsciously extending his claws.

"Harry, have your relatives ever told you about magic?" Herbifera asked softly.

"I know that it doesn't exist," Harry whispered, letting out a few harsh coughs and curled up as a shiver shook his small body.

"Harry, magic exists, and you're a wizard, just like all of us here are wizards and witches. That's why we're able to change into animals if we wish."

"We're... I'm a wizard?" Harry asked incredulously. "That can't be; I'm only Harry, a freak and an ungrateful burden to everyone."

"Who told you that?" a sharp voice asked, and Harry felt strangely happy to see the lynx graciously step back into the den.

"My relatives," Harry whispered, gratefully looking up to Poppy and Minerva when he felt the effects of the potion Poppy had just spelled into his stomach.

"Don't believe what your Muggle dunderheads of relatives say. You're neither a freak nor a burden to anyone," the large cat growled with an angry expression on his face.

"Exactly, you're a very sweet cat, and I'm sure as a little boy you'd be at least as sweet. I'm eager to get to know the human version of you," the marmalade cat added softly.

"Poppy told me she has to leave the castle for a week because her sister and her niece are both sick, and she has to look after them," Felina announced. "She gave me detailed instructions what to do with Harry."

Ignoring Nero's snort, she continued, "One of us has to stay with him at all times, and we have to check on him every few hours and make sure he gets his potions. If his fever exceeds forty-one degrees, we'll have to transform him back and give him a cold bath, since otherwise it would be life-threatening. So far, his condition hasn't improved, and he'll probably be sick for a few more days. Well, there's not much we can do for him."

Harry barely heard the conversation. Feeling too horrible to keep his eyes open, he had curled up tightly, snuggled against the marmalade cat, craving the warmth from her fur.

The lynx rose from his seat, stretching his limbs. "I'll do some research about cats," he declared thoughtfully.

"And I'll go and tell the Headmaster one of you is sick and I'm going to stay here with you for a few days," Felina spoke up, throwing Herbifera an enquiring look.

"It's all right. I'll stay here with Harry. Minerva, will you be back in time his potions wear off? Otherwise, he might be frightened, since he doesn't know me in my human form yet."

"Of course," Felina replied and transformed back, stepping into the fireplace.

HP

Harry remained very ill over the next few days. His whole body was sore, and his fever remained extremely high. Nevertheless, he was happier than he had ever felt in his life before. '_They are so nice. From their conversations, they must be school teachers, and I think Felina told me we were at a school on the day we arrived_,' he mused. '_Right, the building we walked around was huge_,' he remembered, wondering what kind of school it was and what the three cats were teaching.

One day, Harry was pulled out of sleep as he felt something attack him, pulling his ear. He woke up with a jolt and cracked his eyes open, only to jerk away in horror, noticing he couldn't see anything. The world around him was completely black. Harry couldn't even see the fireplace anymore. He let out a frightened yowl, extending his claws at the same time.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your many kind reviews! I really appreciate them!_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	4. Chapter 4

**Cats to the Rescue – Chapter 4**

"Oh, stupid cat," he heard an angry human voice growl and curled up even tighter. "I was merely trying to take your temperature," the voice explained, slowly becoming softer.

Harry felt himself being picked up and looked up, only to see an extremely tall man, clothed completely in black. Far away, there was a face, and it was looking down at him with an annoyed expression.

"I'm sorry, little one, it wasn't my intention to frighten you. You know me already; I'm Nero, the lynx," the man said softly as he sat down on the sofa and once more stuck the thermometer into Harry's ear.

"Thirty-nine point two; your fever has come down a degree. Are you feeling a bit better today?" the man queried as he lit the tip of his wand and coaxed Harry's mouth open to look at his throat.

"I feel much better, sir," Harry whispered, not aware of his voice merely telling the man "Miaow."

'_Oh no, the medicine tastes so bad_,' he thought, but knowing it helped immensely, he obediently sipped the potions from the bowls the man pressed against his mouth.

"You still need much rest," the man instructed him as he gently placed him back in the cat's den. He transformed into his lynx form and sat in front of Harry. "Harry, Felina and Herbifera went to work for a few hours; so I'm responsible for you at the moment. Do you see the door over there?"

"Yes," Harry replied, glad the man was back to his normal cat form.

"That's the door to my potions lab. I'll be there, brewing some more of the flu potion, but I'll leave the door open, and if you need me, you may call me. However, only call me if you feel worse or need me urgently. It'll take me an hour, and then I'll be back here in the room."

"All right," Harry replied wearily, wondering if the lynx's voice sounded hoarse or if it was just his impression.

HP

When Felina returned to the cat's den, Nero told her Harry's fever had broken and come down a degree.

"Oh, thank God," the older cat replied, sighing in relief as she turned to Harry. "Are you feeling better, sweetie?"

"Much better," Harry whispered back, lazily cleaning his paws.

"Harry, don't you think you could change back into your human form?" Felina enquired softly. "It would be so much easier."

"No," Harry replied, getting upset. '_Will they ever leave me in peace with that? I don't want to change back_,' he thought, noticing a wave of heat overcome him as he began to panic.

"Don't let yourself get so upset, little one," Nero whispered softly, before he turned to Felina. "Let the boy stay as a cat for a while if that's what he wants."

"Severus, classes are going to resume in two weeks' time. What are we going to do with him? He needs to attend primary school or at least has to get some kind of schooling. You can't just leave him sleep for three years in his cat form, until he's going to attend Hogwarts," Herbifera threw in worriedly.

"Then for God's sake take him with you to your classes in his cat form. Knowing he is a natural Animagus, he'll surely enjoy Transfiguration classes," Nero sneered, before he let out a few harsh coughs and tiredly curled up to sleep.

"Are you feeling all right?" Felina queried in concern, throwing the lynx a sharp look.

"Of course," the black cat mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.

Feeling very grateful towards the lynx, Harry curled up right next to him, nestling deep into his warm, black fur. '_He seems to understand me the best_,' he mused as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

HP

During the night, Nero was sleeping very restlessly. He was thrashing around, unconsciously kicking the other cats with his tail, and he was coughing every now and then.

"Oh no!" Felina groaned when Harry let out a painful yowl, after the lynx had kicked him again. "Could Nero have caught the flu from Harry?"

"I think so," Harry replied softly. "He has been coughing the whole day. I asked him if he was all right, and he told me he was, but he wasn't as gentle and cuddly tonight as he normally is."

"He hardly ate anything for dinner," Herbifera threw in. "Shall I transform and take his temperature?"

"Please do, Pomona, if you're awake enough to transform. I'm afraid I don't have the energy right now," Felina replied, throwing Nero a concerned look.

With that, the marmalade cat stepped out of the den and transformed into a plump woman with wild, grey hair, causing Harry to chuckle. '_I had imagined her in a totally different way, perhaps with red hair like in her cat form_,' he mused.

"Harry, are you all right?" Felina asked in concern when his chuckles turned into several harsh coughs.

"Yes, I'm fine," Harry whispered and scrambled to his feet to go and drink some water as he suddenly felt very thirsty.

"Thirty-nine point eight," Pomona declared after taking the lynx's temperature. "I'm going to give him the flu potion and the fever reducer, all right, Felina?"

Felina let out a weak, "Miaow," causing Pomona to throw her a concerned look and put a hand on her back.

"You feel very hot, too, Felina. Well, let me take your temperature as well, just to be sure. You're not behaving your usual self." Ignoring her colleague's weak protests, Pomona gently stuck the thermometer into Felina's ear, frowning when she pulled it out. "You're hardly any better. Now Harry, it's your turn. Thank God, at least your fever is coming down nicely. Nevertheless, you'll have to take your potions as well." With that, the woman walked over to a shelf, on which her colleague had placed many phials of the two potions they would need.

"Apparently he knew we were all going to be sick," Pomona muttered as she filled the liquid into small bowls to feed them to her colleagues and Harry. "I just hope I'll make it until one of you gets better," she added, before she gulped down one of each potion herself.

'_I'm already better_,' Harry thought anxiously. '_If they're all ill tomorrow, I'll have to help them_.' With that, he drifted off into a much needed healing sleep, not hearing the other cats cough and sneeze continuously.

When he woke up in the morning, he felt very hot. He lazily opened his eyes, seeing that the two female cats were curled up on each side of him, apparently trying to get warm through the body contact since they were both slightly shivering. Nero was curled up on the other side of the den, and Harry noticed terrified that his tail threatened to slip into the fireplace.

'_Oh no_!' Harry thought. '_I have to do something about it_.' He scrambled onto his paws, feeling a bit dizzy at first, but after a few seconds, he stepped over to the lynx, gently trying to grasp his tail with his front paws in an attempt to pull him away from the fireplace. However, the cat was much too large, and Harry still felt weak from his illness, so he decided to wake him up instead. He gently put a paw on the lynx's back and whispered, "Nero, wake up please, you're going to burn your tail."

The lynx lazily opened his eyes, shivering violently as he slightly moved his body away from the fireplace. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, looking at Harry from glassy, black eyes.

"I feel much better, but I'm afraid everyone else is ill. Shall I give all of you the medicine?"

"I need to transform, so I can check on all of you," Nero mumbled hoarsely, making a weak attempt to scramble onto his legs.

"No, please don't," Harry replied in concern. "I don't think you're well enough to change. I can try to fetch the potions for you."

"You won't be able to do that in your cat form. You can call Cicero, my house-elf, or Hamish, Minerva's house-elf. I'm not sure if they understand cat's talk though," Nero croaked, coughing violently.

'_House-elves?_' Harry thought, sceptically. '_Do house-elves really exist?_ _He seems to be very ill; maybe he's delirious. No, as much as I hate it, I have to change back into my human form to check on the three other cats. They always changed back to help me_.'

He stepped out of the den on the floor of what seemed to be a living room, surrounded with huge, white bookshelves that covered most part of the stone walls, only interrupted by several large windows, through which the rays of the early morning sun streamed into the room.

'_I want to... no, I don't want to, but I have to... I need to change back into my human form_,' he thought feverishly, hoping to be able to transform. Only instants later, he felt himself being a boy again. However, his head exploded in pain, and he felt much worse than he had felt earlier while being in his cat form.

'_All right, I only have to take their temperatures and make them drink the potions. Then I can try to change back_,' he mused as he made a few unsteady steps towards the table, reaching for the thermometer.

He crawled back into the den, crouching in front of Nero, and tried to stick the thermometer into the large cat's ear, causing the lynx to open his eyes and jerk away, terrified.

Harry wide-eyed watched the cat jerk back, letting out a few horrified, "Miaow," before he succumbed to a coughing fit.

"Easy, Nero," Harry said helplessly, watching as the two other cats, who had woken up by the commotion, spoke to the lynx in soothing voices. '_Strange; when I was a cat, I could understand them; now, all I hear is "Miaow_",' he mused as he once more tried to take the lynx's temperature.

"Forty point six," he read from the display, remembering his own fever had been as high when he had felt the worst during the first few days. He turned to Herbifera and finally to Felina, sighing in exasperation as he noticed they were all spiking a high fever.

He carefully prepared the potions like he had watched the others do during the last few days, glad that each of the cats drank their potions without complaining. '_Except for the lynx, they probably haven't even noticed I changed back into my human form_,' Harry mused as he cleaned the bowls and replaced them on the shelf.

The thought, '_I should take the potion too_,' crossed his mind, but he dismissed it for the moment, feverishly trying to come up with something to make the three cats feel better, seeing they were lying in the den, apathetically. _'Oh, I know. A cold towel_,' he thought, suddenly remembering the cold towel the lynx had placed on his neck had made him feel much better. He hesitantly explored his surroundings, until he found the bathroom, and finally returned to the den with three wet towels, which he placed on the necks of each of the cats, before he changed back into his cat form and let himself sink onto the soft ground.

Harry exhaustedly curled up next to the lynx, noticing that he had a splitting headache. Unfortunately, his headache didn't recede but only intensified during the day. Every few hours, Harry transformed into his human form and looked after the three cats, feeling very sorry they had caught the flu from him. In the evening, he lay down next to Nero, letting out a relieved sigh as his achy head came to lie on the soft ground.

"Are you feeling worse, little one?" Nero asked in concern, observing Harry from his obsidian eyes that were still feverishly glazed over.

Harry merely let out a small moan, curling up tightly against the larger cat, craving the warmth of his thick fur.

"Let's sleep a bit more. Maybe later on, one of us will feel well enough to transform," Nero said soothingly, gently curling up around the kitten.

The golden rays of the early morning sun were already flooding the room, when the four cats were pulled out of their dreams by a loud voice.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews! _

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	5. Chapter 5

**Cats to the Rescue – Chapter 5**

"Oh look at those sleepy heads, and four of them at that!"

Harry lazily opened his eyes, blinking a few times in surprise as he saw a huge animal, looking like a bit different from a cat. "What's that?" he whispered, terrified at the sight, trying to hide under the lynx's thick fur.

"That's our friend Rolanda. She's a cheetah," Felina explained hoarsely. "Thank God you're here, Rola. We're all ill with the Muggle flu, and none of us is able to transform back and look after the others. Could you perhaps call Hamish and ask him to give us our potions four times a day?"

"No, Minerva, I'm going to look after the four of you, if you perhaps could introduce our small friend here?"

"Let's call him Arvin," Nero suggested. "Arvin means 'green water,' which I believe is fitting if you take a glance at his eyes."

"I like it," Harry as Arvin whispered, smiling at the gentle, large cat.

HP

During the following days, Rolanda came every few hours, transformed into her human form, and nursed the four cats back to health. After their recovery, only a week of holidays was left, and the three teachers took turns staying with Arvin, while the others engrossed themselves with the preparations for the new school year. Sometimes, all of them had to attend staff meetings and couldn't help leaving Arvin alone, but he didn't mind. He liked the cat's den and already felt at home in the Potion Master's living room.

One day, Nero had even arranged a play date for Arvin with Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's familiar. The two cats spent a joyful afternoon together, and the older cat showed the kitten shortcuts all over the castle that even the teachers were not aware of. She even instructed him how to get into the castle if the front doors were closed.

'_I love this castle, and the people here are so nice_,' Arvin thought as he tiredly curled up next to the lynx after an exciting day. In the morning, Nero had taken him to Hagrid and had introduced Arvin as his familiar, afterwards he had eaten lunch together with Mrs. Norris, and in the afternoon, Herbifera had shown him the green houses, which Arvin found extremely interesting.

However, every night when the cats met at the cat's den, the topics, "What are we going to do when school commences?" and "How can we coax Arvin into transforming back to Harry?" came up.

To Arvin's great relief, Nero hadn't told anyone that Harry had spent a day and a night in his human form to care for them when they had been ill, and the two ladies apparently hadn't noticed and believed he didn't even know how to change back.

"Arvin, school is going to begin next week. Wouldn't it be so much better, if you changed back into your human form, so you could attend primary school or we could hire someone to tutor you?" Felina made another effort to convince Harry, causing the small cat to sigh in exasperation.

"No, I love to be Arvin, and I don't want to change back. Can't I attend classes here in my cat form?" he asked desperately.

"We can do that for a while, but it'll be boring for you, since you can't practise anything but will only be able to listen," Nero said quietly.

"That's all right with me," Arvin replied stubbornly. '_I absolutely love my life as it is now, and I really don't want to change anything_,' he thought, remembering how horrible his life had been at the Dursleys. '_These three people are worrying about me. I never had even one person spend as much as one good thought about me_.'

During the last evenings before the students came back, the three teachers agreed with Arvin that he could choose each morning which of their classes he wanted to attend. They showed him the way to the respective classrooms and instructed him to stay away from the students and not give them a reason to raise their wands against him.

"I won't," Arvin promised, frightened.

"There is another point we have to discuss," Felina said thoughtfully. "Arvin, we won't be able to spend every night here in the cat's den, because we have staff meetings to attend, detentions to supervise, and patrols in the halls to do. Therefore, we need you to choose one of us with whom you want to stay during the week. We'll only be able to stay here together during the weekends."

"May I still remain here?" Arvin asked shyly, throwing Nero a hesitant glance.

The lynx looked sharply at the kitten. "Are you sure you want to stay with me, little one?" Seeing the small cat nod appreciatively, he sighed. "Well, then I don't mind. I expect you to be back when it gets dark every evening though."

"I will," Arvin happily agreed.

HP

During the following days, Arvin quickly became used to the human form of the tall teacher. The man was very kind and always gave him a proper cat's breakfast, before he left his quarters to attend breakfast with all the staff and the students in the Great Hall. "I am the Potions professor and Head of Slytherin, one of the four Houses at Hogwarts, and the Headmaster expects us to attend all the meals in the Great Hall," he gently explained to Arvin on the first morning. "Sometimes, I can skip one or the other meal, of course," he added as an afterthought.

"Okay," Arvin replied and devoured his breakfast, while the lynx transformed back into his human form and got ready for class.

Glad that Mrs. Norris had shown him so many shortcuts, which made it possible for him to cross the whole castle within minutes, Arvin anxiously made his way to the Transfiguration classroom.

He hesitantly entered the classroom after the students, noticing in relief that Felina was sitting on the teacher's desk in her cat form. "Felina, where could I stay without being in the way?" he asked, suddenly feeling very shy towards his cat friend sitting high on the table.

"Look, I put a pillow right next to my desk," Felina replied calmly and as gentle as ever, turning her eyes towards a burgundy coloured pillow on the floor.

"Oh, thank you," Arvin replied gratefully and quickly took a seat on the pillow.

A short time later, Felina transformed back into her Minerva form and took the time to introduce Arvin as her familiar. "I expect all of you to be kind to Arvin, and if I hear of anyone casting a spell on him, the respective student will be expelled," the stern professor explained in a no-nonsense voice.

Arvin watched interestedly as the students had to try to change matches into needles. '_This seems to be very difficult. Will I be able to do such things in the future?_' he thought, observing the students in amazement, until a sunray tickled his nose.

'_Oh, leave it to Felina to place the pillow for me exactly where I like it_,' he mused, sprawling on the pillow to enjoy the rays of the early morning sun coming through one of the large windows. Mere minutes later, he was soundly asleep, not even waking up when class ended and the next students filed in, making a lot of noise.

Arvin woke up half through the second class, before he spent the rest of the morning watching the older students trying to transform a plush cat into a hedgehog. He unconsciously left the large, burgundy pillow, following the sole ray of the sun still entering through the window to the other side of the classroom. No one took notice of him. Only when Arvin felt a strange sensation and began to panic, unaware of what was happening, and a student let out a huge gasp, the teacher's and students' attention was drawn to the small cat turned hedgehog on the floor.

"I'm so sorry, Professor, I wanted to transform my cat but accidentally hit him," the student explained, obviously horrified, while everyone else was gaping at Arvin.

'_Such an imbecile_,' Arvin growled inwardly. '_Nero was right when he said many of the students were dunderheads. I just hope Minerva can change me back. Otherwise, I have to try to transform back into Harry_.'

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley," the professor announced. "Although Arvin should have stayed near my desk, you always have to pay attention to properly point your wand at the object you want to transfigure."

"Yes Professor, I'm sorry, Professor. Shall I try to transfigure him back?" the student offered, causing Arvin's mind to scream, '_NO! Only Minerva may do so_!'

Fortunately, the professor seemed to have the same thought and replied immediately, "No, I shall do that myself. You're dismissed." With that, she pointed her wand at the hedgehog, transfiguring him back into the small kitten in the blink of an eye.

Arvin let out a grateful sound, throwing the woman a thankful look. She gently picked Arvin up, speaking to him in a soothing voice. "That was frightening, sweetie, wasn't it? You must stay near my desk; otherwise this might happen at any time. Are you feeling all right?"

When Arvin nodded affirmatively, Minerva put him back on the floor and transformed into Felina. "It's lunchtime, Arvin. Are you going to have lunch at Mrs. Norris'?"

"Yes, and thank you, Felina, for changing me back. It felt very strange," Arvin replied, still feeling a bit shaky by the experience.

Noticing the smaller cat wasn't his usual self, Felina suggested, "Shall we drink a bowl of milk together before heading for lunch? I'll have to transform back and call a house-elf though."

'_A house-elf? Nero talked about them before_,' Arvin mused, slowly letting out a small, "Okay."

"Hamish!" Minerva called her personal house-elf, and Arvin watched excitedly how a small elf appeared and bowed deeply enough for his large ears to touch the floor.

"Yes, Mistress Minerva, what cans Hamish dos for Mistress Minerva?"

Only seconds later, the two cats were happily slurping their milk. After a quick lunch together with Mrs. Figg, Arvin made his way to the green houses, not yet aware of the fact that the participation in a Herbology class could be much more dangerous than Transfiguration.

_tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	6. Chapter 6

**Cats to the Rescue – Chapter 6**

Like Minerva, Pomona had prepared a pillow for Arvin right next to her desk. '_Oh, I like this yellow colour more than the dark red in the Transfiguration classroom_,' Arvin mused, sadly noticing that there weren't any sunrays nearby. As soon as the students were engrossed in their lesson, he scrambled onto his paws, feeling very safe because no wand could be seen in any of the students' hands. He had to walk to the far end of the green house, before he could make himself comfortable in the warm rays of the early autumn sun.

Unfortunately, Arvin wasn't aware of the fact that he was lying right in front of the devil's ivy, a magical plant that was extremely poisonous but held an enormous value in Healing potions. He sprawled on the floor and slowly drifted off to sleep, not noticing that his tail was touching the dangerous plant behind him. Only when he woke up as the students left the green house, walking right next to him, did he notice his tail was stuck.

Arvin let out a helpless yelp as he began to panic. Fortunately, one of the students noticed his problem and immediately called the professor, who put on her safety gloves, before she freed Arvin's tail with a few professional grips.

"Thank you," Arvin said gratefully, suddenly feeling extremely groggy in spite of the nap he had taken earlier.

"I hope you won't get ill," the professor said, giving him a piercing look. "The devil's ivy is one of the most poisonous plants I have in this green house, and all the first years learn in their first class to keep away from it."

'_I feel horrible_,' Arvin mused and decided to go home for the day. "If you were Herbifera I would tell you, but in your human form you can't understand. I'm going home," he replied and, while the professor was distracted with the newly arriving students, he slowly dragged himself out of the green house and around the never-ending wall of the castle, until he finally reached the cat flap. '_Am I going to die_?' was his last thought as he collapsed in the cat's den, unconscious.

HP

When Arvin's mind slowly returned to awareness, he found himself lying on Severus' lap. He felt ice cold, although his tail seemed to be on fire. Arvin let out a small moan, causing the teacher to look at him in relief.

"Thank God you're awake, Arvin. I need you to drink this potion. It's the antidote for the devil's ivy. Poppy spelled it into your system earlier, but since you're awake you can drink the next dose yourself."

Arvin obediently sipped the potion, feeling too horrible to show as much as a frown at the foul taste.

"I assume you must be feeling dreadful," Severus continued in a soft, soothing voice. "Unfortunately, there is nothing to help you with that. You'll have to wait it out." With that, the professor gently placed him back in the cat's den and changed to Nero, curling up around the sick kitten.

During the following three days, Arvin's condition didn't improve at all. He vaguely registered Severus returned from his classroom every now and then, taking his temperature, feeding him his potions, and bathing his tail in a soothing essence. Every night, Felina and Herbifera joined them to spend the night together with the lynx and the extremely sick kitten.

Only after a week, Arvin was back to normal and hesitantly returned to classes, resolving to stay close to the teacher's desk at any time. It took him a few days to figure out, in which order he had to attend classes to get as much sunshine as possible, and from that time onwards, he always joined Minerva first thing in the morning, spent the next class in the Potions classroom, and the first afternoon class in the afternoon, where he normally slept through until Pomona woke him up in time for dinner.

After dinner together with Mrs. Norris, who was very funny in spite of being mean to the students as Arvin noticed quickly, the two cats normally went for a stroll through the castle, until Arvin had to return home as soon as it began to get dark outside. He usually spent the evening curled up on the sofa in the living room, right next to Severus, who was doing his work, grading homework and other parchments.

As soon as Severus was done with his work, he transformed into his lynx form and asked Arvin about the Potions class he had attended in the morning. On most days, Arvin had many questions concerning the potions the students had been brewing or about the ingredients they had used. Nero noticed soon that Arvin seemed to be highly intelligent and was very interested in Potions.

"I always had to cook at the Dursleys since I was three," Arvin admitted in a small voice when the lynx commended him. "I'd love to try to brew something some time, only if nobody except for you is around though."

"We'll do that," Nero replied firmly, "I'm very glad you're so interested in my favourite subject."

"Thank you. I can't wait to try it out," Arvin said happily as he absently cleaned his paws.

"By the way, tomorrow will be the first Quidditch match of the season. Join me out on the grounds if you wish. I'm sure you'll like it."

Arvin agreed immediately, and in the morning, he spent three hours shifting from Severus' lap to Minerva's and back, eagerly watching the Quidditch match Gryffindor versus Slytherin. By the time the Slytherin Seeker caught the Snitch, Pomona gently took Arvin from Minerva's lap.

"Stay with me for a while, sweetie," she whispered into his ear. "Minerva and Severus are probably going to verbally attack each other about the match. They always do, so the students think they're the largest rivals. No one except for a few of our colleagues and you know they're best friends."

'_They should make it quickly. It's cold out here_,' Arvin mused, nestling deep into the professor's warm robes.

"Well, that's what I call a brilliant match, Minerva," Severus sneered with a smug expression on his face.

"Ah, but only because your Beaters fouled all the time," Minerva gave back angrily, causing the Potions Master to snort.

"Jealous, Minerva?" he queried, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm more content with my players' honourable behaviour than I'd be with an underserved victory," Minerva huffed.

Suddenly, Poppy breached the circle of students standing around the two rivalling professors. "All of you are going inside the castle instantly! Otherwise I'll drag you to the hospital wing for Pepperup potion. Did none of you notice that it has begun to snow?"

From the tone of her voice Arvin could tell the nice woman was very upset, and to his surprise everyone including Minerva and Severus followed her instruction. Nevertheless, it couldn't prevent Severus from catching a cold.

On Monday evening, Arvin noticed the professor was in a bad mood. He angrily mumbled to himself while he was grading homework, letting out a sneeze every now and then. Later, after transforming into Nero, he said, "Arvin, I'm sorry, but I'd like to skip our Potions lesson for tonight. I'm very tired."

"No problem," the smaller cat replied softly, feeling a bit sad because he loved their private lessons and had been looking forward to it the whole day. "Nero, are you feeling all right?" he asked worriedly when the lynx curled up next to him in exhaustion.

"It's just a bit of a cold," Nero replied, "but you're right. I should take a dose of Pepper-up potion."

Arvin chuckled inwardly, watching as steam emerged from the tall professor's ears. "Better now?" he queried as Nero lay down again.

"I hope so," the lynx croaked, "and I hope you won't get it from me."

When Severus returned to his quarters on Tuesday evening, he lay down on the sofa, ignoring the pile of parchments on the table. Frowning, Arvin made himself comfortable on the professor's stomach, looking at him in concern. '_He doesn't look good_,' he observed. '_His cheeks are flushed as if he had a fever, and there is a lot of sweat on his forehead. Maybe he needs my help. Should I transform and check on him? At least I should check his temperature and wipe the sweat from his forehead. I can't do that in my cat form. But I don't want anyone to see me as Harry. Hmmm, on the other hand, Severus has seen me before, and he never told anyone about it. I can trust him_.'

He finally made up his mind and jumped down to the floor, where he transformed back into Harry. Realising the professor hadn't noticed anything so far, he hurried to the bathroom to wet a towel and search for a thermometer for humans, only to return with both items a minute later.

"Severus, can you open your mouth for me?" he asked softly, causing the professor to open his eyes with a jolt.

"Harry!" Severus croaked in disbelief.

"I think you're ill, and I want to check on you," Harry replied quietly, carefully sticking the thermometer under the teacher's tongue, before he proceeded to gently wipe the sweat off the man's face. "Thirty-eight point two," he read from the display, "that's a fever. Should I go and try to find Poppy?"

"No," Severus replied alarmed. "I'll be fine. Just let me stay here overnight. Can you fetch me another Pepperup potion and a fever reducer from my lab? The Pepperup is on the third shelf from the door, fifth shelf from the bottom, and the fever reducer is the light green potion on the third shelf from the bottom right next to the door."

"Okay," Harry replied eagerly and hurried to fetch the requested phials. He watched the professor gulp down the potions and carefully adjusted the wet towel to the man's forehead, before he gave him a sharp look. "I'm going to change back into Arvin. Just wake me up if you need me."

"All right, thank you so much," Severus mumbled gratefully, already drifting off to sleep, while Arvin curled up right next to him.

In the morning, Severus' condition remained unchanged, and Harry tried in vain to keep the professor from teaching his classes. He pondered if he should tell Minerva or Pomona about his concern but decided against it, remembering the professor had always kept his secret so far.

On Wednesday evening, the teacher retreated to his bedroom instead of lying down on the sofa. Arvin immediately transformed into Harry and took the professor's temperature, noticing his fever exceeded thirty-nine degrees. "Severus, you can't teach classes tomorrow, and we need to call Poppy. Your condition is getting worse every day in spite of the Pepperup potion," Harry said worriedly as he took the thermometer back.

"It's only tomorrow and the day after, and then it's the weekend," Severus replied hoarsely. "I promise I'll stay the weekend in bed, until I feel better. Can you fetch me a fever reducer, please?"

"Of course," Harry replied and helped the man sit up and drink the potion, watching as the teacher drifted off into a fever induced sleep, shivering and coughing every now and then.

Too worried to transform back, Harry remained the whole evening in his human form, sitting on the edge of the bed, bathing the man's hot face with the wet towel every now and then. Noticing Severus' skin became hotter by the hour, he had just coaxed the thermometer into the sleeping man's half-open mouth, carefully holding it in place with his hands, when he heard someone call for Severus out in the living room.

'_What am I going to do? No one can see me here in my human form, but I have to keep this thing in place_,' he pondered, horrified.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews!! _

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	7. Chapter 7

**Cats to the Rescue – Chapter 7**

"Severus? Arvin?" Harry once more heard Minerva's concerned voice as the Transfiguration professor stepped into the room, letting out a surprised, "Harry?"

"Severus is very ill," Harry told her, just when the thermometer let out an annoying beep. "Thirty-nine point eight," he read, throwing Minerva a helpless look.

"Stay here. I'm going to call Madam Pomfrey," Minerva replied in concern, hurrying out of the room.

"Bronchitis," Poppy diagnosed a few minutes later, throwing Harry a curious look.

"I had to look after him. He has been sick the whole week," Harry admitted in a small voice.

"And he forbade you to tell anyone, didn't he?" Minerva queried, sighing in exasperation as he nodded weakly. "Now, is it so bad in your human form?" she continued.

"I'm going to transform back," Harry replied shortly and changed into Arvin, causing Minerva and Poppy to sigh.

"Well, are you willing to look after him in your human form while I'm teaching?" Minerva queried. "Afterwards I'll take over."

Arvin nodded in confirmation. The Mediwitch made each of them drink a potion, stating it should prevent them from catching the illness from Severus.

Unfortunately, Harry noticed soon the preventive potion didn't have the required effect. While he looked after the professor during the following two days, he noticed his head and chest became sore, and he developed a slight cough that became harsh during Friday.

By the time Minerva came back after her last Friday afternoon class, Harry was feeling outright ill. "How is he?" the professor queried, throwing her colleague a concerned look.

"He doesn't feel so hot anymore, but I don't think he feels much better, and he didn't eat anything. I was just going to check on him and give him his potions," Harry replied.

"Not so hot anymore?" Minerva asked in disbelief as she released Severus' forehead and laid her hand on Harry's, gasping at the heat she felt. "That's only because you're burning up as well, sweetie." With a flick of her wand, she divided Severus' large bed into two single beds, transfigured Harry's hand-me-down clothes into warm pyjamas, and motioned him to lie down. "You're running a high fever. I'll call Poppy to check on you," she announced, hurriedly leaving the room.

HP

During the weekend, Minerva, Pomona, and Poppy took turns looking after the two sick wizards. Only on Monday morning, Severus' condition improved, and Poppy, who was just on the verge of taking both of them with her to the hospital wing, grudgingly allowed him to remain in his quarters and look after Harry, provided he promised to rest, while the Headmaster was taking over his classes for the whole week.

Harry was surprised to see Severus sit on the edge of his bed as he lazily opened his achy eyes. "Severus, are you feeling better?" he mumbled sleepily, fiercely rubbing his forehead in a vain attempt of getting rid of his splitting headache.

"Easy, Harry," Severus said softly, gently prying Harry's hands from his forehead. "I know you feel horrible because your potions have worn off. Let me quickly take your temperature, and then I'll give you the next dose of potions." With that, he coaxed a thermometer under Harry's tongue, causing the boy to shiver violently at the cold touch.

Like in a trance, Harry obediently swallowed the liquids Severus coaxed into his mouth, drifting off to sleep soon afterwards. He didn't notice Severus call Minerva, Pomona, and Poppy to witness his fevered dreams, in which he hoarsely begged his uncle not to hurt him or not to use his belt. Unaware of the amount of diagnostic spells Poppy cast at him, revealing all of his past wounds as well as his still lingering injuries, he merely noticed Severus was at his side trying to make him feel better whenever he was conscious enough to open his achy eyes.

"Thank God, your fever finally broke," Severus told him one night, giving him a sharp look. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Much better," Harry replied, suddenly becoming aware of his surroundings. "Oh no! Are we still in your bedroom? Did everyone see me in my human form?" he asked, panicking, letting out a few harsh coughs.

"Easy, Harry. Only Minerva, Pomona, and Poppy saw you, no one else," Severus replied softly. "If you feel well enough to transform, and only then, you may change into Arvin now, but be careful, please. You have been very ill for more than a week, and I have to go back to teach from Monday onwards."

'_A whole week_?' Harry mused, terrified. '_I'll try anyway_.' He concentrated on his Arvin form and transformed, feeling somehow relieved when Severus changed into Nero, jumped onto the bed, and curled up next to him.

Arvin woke up startled, sensing that someone stuck a thermometer into his ear. Unwillingly batting the thing with his paw, he jerked away vehemently, before he lazily opened his eyes as a small shiver shook his body.

"Oh Arvin, please behave yourself," Minerva scolded him lightly. "I need to check on you, before I can give you the next dose of potions."

'_Ah, all right_,' Arvin mused, throwing the woman an apologetic look as he turned his head so she could easily reach his ear.

It took the small cat another full week to completely recover. He remained asleep in the cat's den during the whole day, only waking up several times a day when Severus came to check on him and make him drink his potions.

'_Is it the weekend again_?' he mused, waking up during the night, seeing Nero, Herbifera, and Felina curled up and fast asleep next to him. '_Thank God, I'm finally feeling better_,' he realised and scrambled onto his feet to take a small walk around the herb garden right in front of the cat flap to Severus' quarters, before he returned to the cat's den, curling up close to the lynx.

"Arvin, there is something we need to speak about with you," Felina told him when they were lazily relaxing in the sun on the next day.

"While you were ill, Poppy did several diagnostic checks on you, and she noticed you have many old injuries," Nero continued in a soft voice.

"Since we assume they were inflicted by your relatives, we spoke with the Headmaster about the matter and told him about your cat form," Felina explained, causing Arvin to instinctively extend his claws.

"It's all right, sweetie," Herbifera spoke up. "We managed to convince Professor Dumbledore to let you stay at Hogwarts." Ignoring Felina's snort, she continued, "You may choose one of us, whom you wish to become your guardian, so you can remain here. However, he set up one condition."

Arvin threw the marmalade cat a frightened look.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Felina said softly. "He demands you stay in your human form, at least during the school days, and you attend classes with a tutor decided by your guardian."

'_In my human form?_' Harry thought, panicking. '_People will hate me_.' "I don't know," he replied, uncertainly glancing up at the lynx.

"I guess you'll want Nero to become your guardian?" Felina queried, causing Arvin to nod hesitantly.

"Could I..." Arvin cleared his throat, "could you still call me Arvin, even if I was in my human form?" he asked shyly.

"Of course we can do that, if it helps you overcome your bad memories," Nero reassured him softly. "I can even adopt you, so we can officially change your name to 'Arvin Snape,' if that's what you want."

"Really?" Arvin asked, and his eyes lit up in excitement. '_Maybe people won't hate me as much, if I had a different name and was a complete different person_,' he mused, and a hopeful expression spread on his face. "I'd like that," he agreed quietly.

"If you were in your human form, I could ask Cicero, my old house-elf, who taught me when I was your age, to teach you, until you're old enough to become a student at Hogwarts," Nero said thoughtfully.

"I believe that's a very good idea," Felina agreed warmly. "Maybe we should transform into our human forms, and you could introduce Cicero to Harry, Severus."

Seeing the three cats transform, Arvin hesitantly followed their example, sitting on the sofa next to Severus.

"Cicero!" Severus called out, causing an old house-elf to appear, bowing deeply, before he looked around curiously.

"Cicero, would you be willing to teach this boy here, until he's ready for Hogwarts?" Severus enquired gently, causing the small elf to bow again.

"Of course, Master Severus, Cicero would be so happy to teach a boy again. What is his name, and may Cicero begin tomorrow morning?" he asked excitedly, causing Harry to chuckle.

"He will be Arvin Snape as soon as I receive the adoption papers back from the Ministry, and you may begin as soon as Arvin is ready," Severus replied in obvious amusement, raising an eyebrow at the child.

"Tomorrow is fine," Harry replied happily, turning to the elf. "Hello Cicero; I'm Arvin, and I'd love you to teach me whatever you deem useful for me."

"Oh, such a polite boy," Cicero said happily. "I shall teach you common knowledge about the wizarding world as well as Potions, which is my speciality, and easy Charms, along with many things that will come useful once you become a student."

_Epilogue_

Twenty months later, a cheery Arvin Snape was sorted into Ravenclaw. During the seven years of being a student at Hogwarts, he continued spending the weekends together with his three Animagi cat friends at the cat's den in his adoptive father's quarters, and even after his NEWTs when Arvin took over the position as Charms professor and Ravenclaw Head of House, he didn't miss one weekend in the den together with the other three Heads of House. And if you happen to walk into Professor Severus Snape's small herb garden and stand in front of the door with the cat flap leading into his quarters on a weekend, you might still hear a quadruple miaowing concert take place inside.

**The End**

_

* * *

Thank you so much for your continuous support throught the story! I really appreciate it! _

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


End file.
